WASHINGTON — The Senate yesterday confirmed James Comey as the new director of the FBI by a 93-1
vote.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., had placed a hold on Comey’s nomination over questions about the bureau’s
use of drones on U.S. soil and the policies surrounding that use. After receiving a response to his
concerns from the FBI detailing the “limited” use of surveillance drones, Paul released his
hold.

“The FBI today responded to my questions on domestic use of surveillance drones by saying that
they don’t necessarily need a warrant to deploy this technology. I disagree with this
interpretation.

“However, given the fact that they did respond to my concerns over drone use on U.S. soil, I
have decided to release my hold on the pending FBI director nominee,” Paul said in a statement
explaining his decision.

The Kentucky senator had deemed previous responses to his questions insufficient. Paul was the
only senator to vote against Comey’s confirmation; two senators voted “present.”

Comey, 52, a former senior Justice Department official, will replace Robert Mueller, who is
leaving the agency after a dozen years.

Comey was at the center of some of the most bruising debates over counterterrorism during the
Bush administration and established a reputation as a fierce defender of the law and the integrity
of the Justice Department, regardless of the political pressures of the moment.

He left the Justice Department in 2005 and served as a senior vice president and general counsel
at the defense contractor Lockheed Martin until 2010. In June 2010, Comey joined Bridgewater
Associates, a Connecticut-based hedge fund with $75 billion in investments for clients including
universities and foreign governments.

Comey left the hedge fund in January and has been teaching national-security law at Columbia Law
School in New York.